Hello. My name is Mary Anne and I am a Homeschooler.

To those of you who know me, this may seem obvious. Sometimes we don’t see ourselves as clearly as others may see us. I have homeschooled for 27 years. But, hey, don’t expect too much of me-I was NOT homeschooled and I never finished college. You see, I finally realized that this was not just a task that I do, it is something that I am. My identity and commitment are tied up in this whole thing. I never intended this to be the case. When I started this journey, I just wanted to enjoy my children, learn with them and give them a good education. I never stopped. After about 5 years, I did stop reevaluating whether they should go back to school, whether they were being short-changed, would they turn out o.k. I loved what I was doing, and they were happy, growing and thriving.

It all happened gradually….but somewhere along the way I became committed to children outside my family, to good education in general, to encouraging others. I knew what I was, when I was at a homeschool day at Monterey Bay Aquarium. All around me were all manner of homeschoolers-hippie looking, uniformed and disciplined, long-skirted, cool and geeky, rich and poor. And I identified with all of them. Sometimes, I have “epiphanies”, and this was just that. I thought “these are my people”. I’m not kidding! I cared about them, I knew them, I felt at home with them. I knew that my life was tied up with homeschoolers, and all that concerns them, for good or bad.

So what does that mean to me in regards to CFT? It means that I really want to help you and your children in any way I can, whether it is just this year, or for many years. We have all chosen to be in this endeavor together for our particular reasons and purposes. Over the next few blog entries, I hope to share with you why I am committed to the work of CFT, and the kind of education and environment that it helps to provide for our children. I hope that as I share my thoughts on this, it will help you to know me better, and in some way encourage you in this journey.
So while some may not want to do so, and may denigrate those who do, I am happy to call myself a homeschooler!